Richard Killmer: Biden Administration rule on cars will make people, earth healthier

Air quality and human health just received some good news. The Biden Administration, through its Environmental Protection Agency, recently finalized a rule that will ensure that a majority of new automobiles and light trucks in the U.S. are all-electric or hybrids by 2032. This will be accomplished by setting new tailpipe pollution standards for the model years 2027-32.

The EPA’s new clean cars standards, a multipollutant emissions reduction program for light-duty vehicles are a big step forward in making the world a safer place against the climate crisis by putting us on the path to a zero-emission transportation future. It also cleans up the country’s transportation sectors by producing a lot less pollution. These new multi-pollutant tailpipe emissions standards are projected to prevent 7.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution from being emitted into the atmosphere — the largest gross reduction of climate emissions by any one rule in American history.

The new standards are projected to prevent 7.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution from being emitted into the atmosphere by 2055 — the largest gross reduction of emissions by any one rule in U.S. history. For light-duty vehicles, the new standards achieve 50% reductions in total fleet-wide greenhouse gas emissions in model year 2032. According to the EPA’s own analysis, the transportation sector accounts for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions — more than any other sector in the US. Health-harming particle pollutants from car exhaust will also be drastically cut by 95%, averting thousands of premature deaths, and creating $13 billion in annual public health benefits.

Cars are a source of particulate matter emissions, which can have serious health impacts (especially in children, elderly people, and those living with lung disease). Exposure to air pollution can lead to health problems including increased risk of asthma attacks, strokes, heart attacks, cancer, and premature deaths.

At their peak, the new clean car standards will also achieve a 95% reduction in particulate matter emissions compared to current standards. In 2020, the national passenger vehicle fleet represented approximately 94 percent of the nation’s on-road vehicles and generated more than 33,400 tons of fine particles and over one million tons of ozone- and particle-forming nitric oxide emissions annually.

Regardless of income levels or geographic region, people of color have consistently higher exposure to PM2.5 pollution. Research has also shown that socioeconomic status is a major predictive factor for premature death from fine particulate matter pollution.

At the UN meeting on climate change in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2023, an important statement was agreed to by 197 nations in the world which called for a transition from fossil fuels. The EPA standards are an important step in reducing US dependence on fossil fuels and making this transition.

Automakers are not required to make or sell electric vehicles (or any particular type of cars) and are free to choose their own compliance strategies. The standards will help to increase the choices consumers have when purchasing a new vehicle. Many automakers in the US (including Ford, General Motors and Stellantis) and in other countries have made a commitment to not making gas-powered cars after 2035.

Regardless of how manufacturers choose to achieve compliance, the future of the industry is electric. Ford announced this month that their electric vehicle sales jumped 86% with 20,223 from a year ago. In addition to their pollution benefits, EVs have extensive benefits, including economic. American consumers will benefit from up to $27,000 in savings, for certain equivalent models. In addition, the electric vehicle sector has received $188 billion in investments and nearly 200,000 jobs — more than half of which were created since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law. By promoting efficient vehicles, the new clean car standards will save American consumers a total of $62 billion in aggregated fueling and repair costs by 2055.

This is indeed good news and the right time to buy an electric vehicle.

— Rev. Richard Killmer is a retired Presbyterian minister who lives in East Grand Rapids.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Richard Killmer: Biden Administration rule on cars will make people, earth healthier